Kentucky partners with six other states to reopen economy, but not yet
Gov. Andy Beshear said Kentucky is coordinating with six other states to incrementally begin reopening parts of the regional economy, though he hasn’t definitively indicated when that will happen.
Beshear said Wednesday he has been in close talks with Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb, both Republicans, about jointly coordinating their efforts to “eventually ease restrictions and open up the economy.”
New members of the partnership, who will “closely coordinate plans to reopen ... when the time is right,” include governors from Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota and Michigan, Beshear said in a statement on Thursday.
“This is really significant,” Beshear said Thursday during his daily Capitol news conference. “This is making sure we are doing the right thing by our neighbors.”
COVID-19 has infected at least 2,429 Kentuckians and contributed to the deaths of at least 128 people. As the state has yet to hit its peak number of cases, infection and death rates are expected to continue rising in the coming weeks. Frustrated Kentuckians protested outside the Kentucky Capitol on Wednesday, demanding the state reopen businesses. But doing so at this point, Beshear said, “would absolutely kill people.”
The Thursday announcement comes roughly a day after the Democratic governor announced the Kentucky-Indiana-Ohio partnership, which Beshear said will ultimately mean a “more effective opening of parts of our economy.”
Part of that agreement includes each state signing off on the other’s plans, he said. Earlier on Thursday, both DeWine and Holcomb said their state’s economies could begin gradually reopening as early as May 1, though there will be caveats. DeWine, as part of his announcement, tweeted, “Face masks will be a big part of our future.”
Beshear was less definitive on Kentucky’s timeline, saying, “no decision has been made on the timing for reopening Kentucky’s economy” and that the decision, ultimately, will be one agreed upon by local public health officials, as he has said before.
Though more details will be provided on Friday, Beshear said Thursday that some establishments, especially those in health care fields, could “potentially” open in early May. But that depends on testing capacity and the availability of personal protective equipment, like masks.
“My hope is if not May 1, and May 1 is a hard date to hit,” that Kentuckians will be able to resume some activities in late May or June, Beshear said.
In a joint statement, the seven participating governors said each state’s reopening plan may start at different times, but everyone agreed to a “fact-based, data-driven approach” in a way that “protects families from the spread of COVID-19.”
“Phasing in sectors of our economy will be most effective when we work together as a region. This doesn’t mean our economy will reopen all at once, or that every state will take the same steps at the same time,” they said. “But close coordination will ensure we get this right.
Beshear has repeatedly said Kentucky needs to broaden its testing capacity for the novel coronavirus and refine its ability to trace the outbreak before businesses start reopening. The seven states agreed that would be one of a handful of contingent factors in ultimately making the decision to reopen.
Other factors include sustained control of the new infection rate and hospitalizations; adequate health care capacity to handle a likely resurgence of the virus; and ensuring that businesses who reopen adhere to social distancing guidelines.
Since early March, Beshear has instituted a series of broad restrictions centered on aggressive social distancing, including closing virtually everything except life-essential businesses, such as grocery stores, and limiting the number of people allowed in those places at one time.
“We owe much of our success in flattening the curve in Kentucky to the sacrifices our families are making,” Beshear said. When Kentucky does reopen, “we must do so in a way that ensures every sacrifice made is not squandered.”
This story was originally published April 16, 2020 at 4:57 PM.
